The Oberlin Evangelist

Lecture XIV

July 15, 1840

DEATH TO SIN

by the Rev. Charles G. Finney

Modernized by Cliff Collins

“For he that is dead is freed from sin.” (Romans 6:7)

In the discussing this subject, I will address the following:

I. What are the different kinds of death mentioned in the Bible?

II. What kind of death is intended here?

III. What does this death consist in?

IV. What is implied in this death?

V. How can we produce this death?

I. What are the different kinds of death mentioned in the Bible?

1. Natural death. This is the death of the body.

2. Spiritual death. This is death in sin. It is total depravity or a state of complete alienation from God.

3. Eternal death. This consists in the endless curse of God.

4. Death to sin.

II. What kind of death is intended in today’s scripture?

The death mentioned here is clearly a death to sin. This is very clear from the context of this passage. At the end of the previous chapter, Paul mentioned the super-abounding grace of Christ, and he begins the sixth chapter by saying, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?” (Romans 6:1-2) Here Paul is speaking about those who were alive and yet dead to sin. Paul said that they were baptized into the death of Christ. Their spiritual baptism had sacredly consecrated them to the death of Christ. “Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore, we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him.” (Romans 6:4-8) Paul not only says that they are dead, but also their spiritual baptism buries them into the death of Christ And to carry the idea of their being still farther from a life of sin; he speaks about them as being planted into the likeness of His death, and crucified with Him that the body of sin might be destroyed. And then adds in the words of this passage, “he who has died has been freed from sin”. The term rendered “freed from sin” here, may be rendered “is made righteous”.

It is plain from its context that Paul is speaking about those who are so baptized by the Holy Spirit that they are dead to sin, buried, planted, and crucified, concerning sin.

III. What does this death consist in?

Death to sin consists in the annihilation of selfishness, and the reign of perfect love for God and man in the heart and life.

IV. What is implied in death to sin?

1. Death to sin is the opposite of death in sin. Death in sin implies living for self, or being dead to God’s glory and interests and only alive to our own glory. Death to sin implies the opposite of this. It implies a death to our own interests and happiness as the goal of everything we do, and living for the glory of God, and for building up His kingdom.

2. Death in sin implies possessing a will that’s opposed to God’s will. I am talking about a fixed and permanent state of one’s will; not just one particular conscious decision. The will of God cannot influence a person who is opposed to Him. Because that person has never submitted to God’s will, simply knowing what God wants will not influence his conscious decisions. However, death to sin implies a will that is completely subservient to and under the control of God’s will. I am also speaking about a state of will. One who is dead to sin has no other will than that God’s will should be done in everything. Ask that person any question that he is not sure what the will of God is, and he will find himself unable to decide on a course of action. All he can do, in such a situation, is to search and find out what is the will of God. But until he is satisfied in some way concerning God’s will, he is completely in doubt. He finds that he is unable to make up his mind and unable to make any decision concerning the question before him.

This state of mind is directly opposite to a death in sin. In a state of death in sin, the will of God is not sought after as the great and only influential motive to decide the will. A person in this state has a will of his own. He decides on his own responsibility, in his own strength, and for completely selfish reasons. However, anyone who is dead to sin, has so submitted himself to God’s will, his will is so bowed to God’s will, that he decides nothing selfishly, and the will of God comes to be the controlling reason or motive for his conduct. Let him know what the will of God is in any situation, and his will is yielding as air. But shut him out from this knowledge, and he becomes perplexed and can’t decide on any course of conduct. He can only say, “may God’s will be done”. No matter how uncommon it has been for Christians to come into this state while full of life and health, it has been more common for Christians to be in this state while on a deathbed. Everyone familiar with deathbed scenes has probably witnessed many cases of complete surrender to the will of God, as the individual, who was unable to choose whether he would live or die, could only say, “may God’s will be done”. Not knowing what the will of God was there was no other choice than this, which is, that the will of God, whatever it was, should be done. Ask an individual whether sick or well, living or dying, who is in this state, whether he wills or chooses a certain thing; and if it is a question concerning something he doubts what the will of God is, you will find him to be completely at a loss. He is aware of choosing that the will of God should be done. But until he knows what the will of God is, he has no choice about that particular event.

3. Death in sin implies a self-indulgent state of mind. It is natural for anyone who is dead in sin to consult his own ease, happiness, reputation, and interests. If he is on board a steamboat, you will find him ready to contend for the best berth and hastening to obtain the best seat at the first table. If riding in a stagecoach, you will observe him seeking the best seat. To consult his own comfort, his own indulgence and happiness is the law of his mind. This state of mind will develop itself in ten thousand ways.

But death to sin implies a self-denying state of mind, a disposition to give others the preference, a choosing to accommodate, bless, and benefit others at the expense of self-interest or self-indulgence.

4. Death in sin implies the consideration that we are our own masters. But death to sin is the real and practical regarding of our whole being as God’s.

5. Death in sin implies that we love our own reputation. Death to sin implies that we make no reputation for ourselves as Christ did.

6. Death in sin implies regarding our possessions as our own. Death to sin implies realizing that our possessions belong to God.

7. Death in sin implies the dominion of our flesh and a will that is subject to our flesh. Death to sin implies subjecting our body to our soul. It implies that we keep our body under control and bring it into subjection, and that we bring all its appetites and tendencies into subjection to the will of God.

8. Death in sin implies a state of mind influenced by things around us; by the honors, riches, opinions, and things of this world. It is as if the one who possesses these things, expects to live here forever. Death to sin implies giving up the world just like a dying man would give up the world. The riches, honors, amusements, pursuits, ambitions, strife, and envies of the world, what are all these to him? He treats these things as if he believes that he is a dying man. He does not desire them. He does not seek them. Under these circumstances, he does not even want to have them. He does not choose this world’s goods, but only those things that are necessary for the few hours or moments that remain of this life. A little more breath, perhaps a few spoonfuls of water, a little of the kind attention of his friends are all that is left for him to desire of earthly good. Now death to sin implies giving up all desire and expectation of the wealth, honors, and selfish pursuits of this world. The person who is dead to sin is as satisfied with the ability that earthly goods will provide him comfort, as a man who is on his deathbed. He would no sooner lay out his plans for earthly gain, or for enlarging and perpetuating his selfish gratification, than a man would on his deathbed. In a word, he has given up the world as an object of pursuit, as really and as emphatically as if he knew that this was his last hour on earth. He has entered into a new and eternal life. All his plans, desires, and aims are heavenly, and not earthly, sensual, or devilish.

V. How can we produce this death? How can people enter into and exercise this state of mind?

1. The strength of your own resolutions cannot produce this death. You will never die to sin by merely resolving to die to sin. It is one of the most common delusions among people today to believe that they can stand against temptation by the strength of their own resolutions. Peter thought that he was able to follow Christ even unto death. But his resolution, like all mere human resolutions, failed him just when he needed its support the most. A brother said to me the other day, “I have learned something about my resolutions. They are firm enough when there is nothing to overthrow them, and when I don’t need their support. But they always fail me when I do, just when I have a trial that demands their sustaining power, I find they are like air and good for nothing.”

2. We cannot enter into this state of mind by any unaided efforts of our own. Sin has had dominion over us too long. Indulging in sin for a long time has enslaved our powers. Sin has been our master far too long to be quickly put down by any unaided efforts of ours. But,

3. The baptism of the Holy Spirit produces this state of mind. The baptism of the Holy Spirit does not imply the bestowment of miraculous gifts, as many believe. The Apostles possessed miraculous gifts before they were baptized with the Holy Spirit. The power of miracles may or may not be incidental to spiritual baptism. But, by no means, do miraculous gifts constitute any part of it. Nor does spiritual baptism imply great excitement.

But it does imply such a degree of divine influence that it purifies the heart. The New Testament writers clearly used the word baptism as being synonymous with purifying. Water baptism is typical of spiritual baptism. Spiritual baptism is the purifying of the heart by the Holy Spirit. Miraculous gifts, great excitement of mind, great rejoicings, or great sorrowing over sin, may be incidental to spiritual baptism, but they are not essential to it. You who have read the memoir of J. B. Taylor will remember that on April 23rd, 1822, while he was engaged in prayer, he felt his whole soul sweetly yielding itself up to God. Such a sweet thorough yielding of himself and all his interests for time and eternity into the hands of God he had never before experienced. Now I believe that this was the result of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Ever since then, he remained in a state of mind completely different from anything he had experienced before.

In receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit, we are not passive but noticeably active.

Faith secures this influence. Faith in Christ throws the mind open to the influence of His truth and gives the Spirit the opportunity of so presenting truth that it sweetly brings the entire person under its whole power. Christ administers spiritual blessings, and we receive this by taking hold of His promise to baptize us with the Holy Spirit, and throwing our mind open to His influences. The baptism of the Apostles, by the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, will illustrate what I mean. Just before He ascended into heaven, Christ promised those who were gathered with Him, “you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now”. (Acts 1:5) They got a hold of this promise, and waited in a constant attitude of prayer and expectation, throwing the door of their minds open to His influence. Now Christ has given to all believers a great many promises of His willingness to send the Holy Spirit. He has said, If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him”. (Luke 11:13) The “water of life” mentioned in Revelation 21:6 is the Holy Spirit. “And He said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts’.” Living water speaks of the Holy Spirit. This everyone knows who has attentively considered the real meaning of those promises. (See John 4:10-14, 7:38-39, Song 4:15, Jer 2:13, 17:13, Zech 14:8)

Now if you want to enter into this death to sin, you must allow the Holy Spirit to baptize you. If you want the Holy Spirit to baptize you, you must fasten on the promises of Christ and take hold of them in faith, laying your whole soul open to receive His influences. Rest with the utmost confidence in His promise to give you of the “fountain of the water of life freely”. And when you take hold of His promise, be sure not to let go or let anything shake your confidence until you become aware that “you are baptized into His death”.

REMARKS.

1. In the context of today’s passage, Paul speaks of himself and others as dead to and freed from sin.

2. If death to sin does not imply entire sanctification, death in sin does not imply total depravity, for they are opposite states of mind.

3. Death in sin is consistent with doing many things that the world regards as righteous. Death to sin may be consistent with many things that the world regards as sinful.

4. Paul’s life confirms the profession that he makes of being dead to sin.

5. The circumstances of the early Church made death to sin almost inevitable, at least in many situations. The profession that they belonged to Christ cost many of them all that the world held or called dear. They had to enter into the Christian life by renouncing the world and giving up all worldly expectations and pursuits, just like people do on their deathbeds. This state of public opinion forced them to enter into a state of spiritual death, and, no doubt, this was a prime reason for their rapid advancement in the divine life.

6. We can see why it is that government, religious, and other violent persecutions have already greatly contributed to the spirituality of the Church.

7. We can also see why it is that worldly favor has crippled the energies, and overthrown the purity of the Church.

8. We can see how the idea comes to be so prevalent that Christians are not completely sanctified until death. In fact, this is generally true. Christians are not wholly and permanently sanctified until about the end of their life, until they come to the place where they expect to die very soon. I once knew a good man. His physicians told him, that because of an enlarged blood vessel near his heart, exposing him to instant death, he could die anytime. After the first shock was over, this news was instrumental in baptizing him into the death of Christ. He very soon entered into a most blessed and heavenly state of mind, let go of the world, and seemed to stand looking and waiting with most heavenly serenity for the coming of the Son of Man. In this state of mind, he was later told that he might probably live for a long time, in spite of his disease. This so staggered him that it almost brought him back into bondage again. Because he didn’t seem to understand the philosophy of the state of mind he was in, and how to remain in it by simple faith, he staggered and groaned under this news until Christ, true to His promise, intervened and set his feet on eternal rock. After this, he lived and died to the wonder of all those around him. Few, if any, so much as dreamed that his state of mind was what God intended by a death to sin.

9. Many good men have found it easy to enter into this state of mind when they relinquished any expectation of remaining in this world any longer. But, it seems impossible or difficult for most persons to conceive that this state of mind may actually be entered into, with a prospect of any amount of life still before us.

10. But, there is no need to wait until the end of our life before we die to sin. All we have to do is thoroughly let go of all selfish schemes and projects whatever, and give ourselves completely up to the service of God, as much as we expect to when we are at death’s door, and we enter at once into this infinitely desirable state of mind.

11. If people have entered into this state of mind, new trials may call for fresh baptisms of the Holy Spirit. As long as we are in this world of temptation, we are never beyond the reach of sin and never out of danger. If a holy Adam could selfishly sin, how much easier is it for those people to sin, who have lived their whole lives under the dominion of selfishness? If you have been intemperate or licentious, although you may have subdued these appetites and tendencies, yet it behooves you to keep out of temptation’s way; and renewed temptation calls for fresh and more powerful baptisms of the Holy Spirit. Don’t be satisfied then with one anointing. But, look for drinking freshly from the water of life every day.

12. If we allow any form of sin to live, it will have dominion over us. It must be completely exterminated or it will be our ruler. The principle of total abstinence in regard to sin is wholly indispensable to the reign of spiritual life.

Let us then, beloved, not rest satisfied until we are aware that we are dead and buried, by spiritual baptism into Christ’s death, until we are planted in the likeness of His death; and so crucified with Him that the body of death is fully destroyed.